4th October

The Russian army today backed Boris Yeltsin and after a day long battle crushed the hard-line rebels who had taken over the White House, the Soviet Parliament building

1992

El Al jet crashes into apartment block

An El Al cargo 747 jet crashes into an apartment block on the outskirts of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Fifty one people are killed.

1976

High speed trains start in Britain

British Rail launch their high speed 125 mph "intercity" service with a service between London and Bristol.

1970

Janis Joplin dies of a drugs overdose

Janis Joplin dies of a drugs overdose caused by a batch of heroin that was "too pure"

1957

Soviet Union lauches Sputnik 1

The Soviet Union begins the space race with the launch of Sputnik 1. The satellite orbitted the earth every 96 minutes and at about 180 pounds it was significantly larger than the satellites being considered by the US.